As with many other sectors, the remittance industry is being disrupted by changing consumer behaviour and technological innovations. Nobody could foresee how apps and technology would affect public transportation and vacation rentals five years ago. Now everybody knows how Uber and AirBnB changed everything with a community-based model powered by apps and the internet. Within Southeast Asia, regional services such as Grab, Gojek or Didi have revolutionised transport, while ecommerce sites like Taobao or Lazada have changed the face of retail.

Shift in remittances due to technology

The pace of change is rapid, fuelled by the huge market opportunity of a service with large volumes and frequency. Disruptors are offering cheaper, quicker and simpler alternatives to traditional solutions, with mobile money as one example. Consumers are able to send money across borders almost instantly using their mobile phone. The GSM Association’s (GSMA) report from October 2016 showed that mobile money transfers cost less than 50 % compared to global money transfer operators (MTOs). This attractive growth opportunity saw investors around the world taking note, with millions of dollars in funding going to money transfer startups such as London-based WorldRemit. In Southeast Asia, with its massive remittance flows, innovative startups are targeting specific niches and migrant groups (Ayannah and Toast for Filipinos).

Of course, new tech is not the only factor when it comes to consumer preferences. Understanding consumer behaviour and addressing consumer pain points are critical. Understanding why and how people use your services is very important, and remittance is no different.

Remittance behaviours in Singapore

TransferTo has conducted research into remittance behaviours across migrant workers in Singapore. The survey found that workers from these countries sent an average of 30-50 % of their income home each month, with a majority using traditional money transfer operators and fees as high as USD 10 (SGD 15) per transaction. On top of that is the need to queue and the hassle of handling physical cash. Unsurprisingly, the survey respondents identified convenience, trustworthiness and speed as the most important factors in their remittance journey.

These workers typically earn less than USD 700 (SGD 1,000) a month, and so fees take up a sizable chunk of the money they send home. The money is important; beneficiaries of remittances, usually their family members, use the money for food and education, and sometimes for emergencies.

Transparency and trust need to be built into the money transfer process. In traditional money transfer, there are many variables that affect fees: what is the amount, where are you sending the money to, how do you want the recipient to receive the money – cash or bank account –, how are you paying for this transfer, besides the currency exchange rates. Drawing parallels to taking a taxi, Grab and Uber’s fare estimates ahead of taking a ride is a boon for the consumer, who knows how much they must pay for their ride, rather than the traditional taxi fare system - you find out the fare and surcharges at the end of the trip.

Another aspect of consumer behaviour is the increasing adoption and use of smartphones. With smartphones becoming cheaper, and 2G networks starting to be shut down in many countries, smartphone adoption is expected to increase significantly in the next few years. Our own survey showed a more than 90 % adoption rate for smartphones among migrant workers in Singapore. These trends mean that mobile money, and to some extent airtime top-ups, are becoming a viable form of remittance.

The market opportunity for mobile money and remittances is huge. There is tremendous untapped potential, especially as we look at customer pain points and the need for a more relevant service for migrant workers. If the players in the new remittance ecosystem - banks, money transfer operators, and the new players from fintech, telcos and mobile money operators – can find a way to provide migrant workers with a cheaper, better and faster solution, there can be a seismic shift in the way remittances happen.

About Eric Barbier:

CEO of TransferTo. Eric founded TransferTo in 2005. Prior to starting TransferTo, Eric co-founded Mobile 365 (now SAP) the largest Mobile Messaging network. Eric also holds a Masters Degree in Information Technology from ESIEE in Paris.

TransferTo provides its partners with a global compliance framework for all relevant regulatory requirements, enabling thousands of businesses in more than 100 countries to offer real-time Mobile Money and Airtime transfer services to their customers. In 2015 alone, TransferTo Mobile Money and Airtime Hub processed more than 50 million transactions.